Cortland Standard .net

SYRACUSE — One inning proved to be the decisive factor, and the Cortland Crush’s undoing, Thursday night.
The host Syracuse Salt Cats broke a 2-2 tie with three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning at Onondaga CC, and that was the difference in a 5-2 final score that dropped the Crush to 0-2 in the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Eastern Division.
Shortstop Tim Hunter drew a walk from reliever Joseph Jones to lead off the sixth for the winners (3-1) and stole second, then went to third on a groundout before scoring what proved to be the winning run on a single to right-center by first baseman Brian Bilello. Catcher Manny Colon then singled to left-center to score Bilello, who went to third on a single to center second baseman Matt Mastroianni and scored on a throwing error as Mastroianni stole second.
Cortland scored the first two runs of the game, one each in the second and third. Homer Central product Zephan Kash (Mansfield U.) walked with one out and went to second on a bunt single by shortstop Nicholas Panissidi. Kash took third on a fielder’s choice grounder by rightfielder Luke Gilbert and scored as the throw to third on a double play attempt went awry.
Centerfielder Grant Hoover singled to center to lead off the third and scored on a double to right-center by third baseman Wes Burghardt (College at Brockport) to make it 2-0 for the visitors.
The Salt Cats equalized with a pair of runs in the fourth off Cortland starter Shae Edmonds. Designated hitter Cameron Dias walked with one out and went to second on an infield single by Bilello. Each runner moved up a base on a wild pitch and, one out later, Mastroianni singled to left center to score them both.
The Crush loaded the bases in the eighth off Syracuse reliever Corey Ross but failed to score. Hoover and Burghardt both walked to lead things off and pulled off a double steal. One out later George Haaland walked to load the bases. That chased Ross in favor of Kyle Taylor, who struck out the next two batters to end the inning, and the threat.
Hoover went 2-for-5 and scored once for the visitors, who managed six hits in all. Colon went 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run for Syracuse while Mastroianni went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Bilello went 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs.
Salt Cats starter Sean Pisik was the winning pitcher while Jones took the loss. Edmonds had two pickoffs on the night in the losing cause while Tyler Saundry, the fourth of four Cortland pitchers, also picked off a runner.
“It was a tough loss,” Crush manager Bill McConnell said. “We got good pitching from Shae. He had a good count but that wild pitch and some timely hitting cost us two runs. We got the lead-off double by Zephan in the fourth and couldn’t score him. That is an issue.
“And we did load the bases in the eighth inning, then they brought in a tough pitcher (Taylor). We had a chance to score a couple of runs, but that will come We need to get up there (to the plate) and be aggressive. Taylor was either all gas or you didn’t know where the ball was going. He pitched well enough to get the ball by us. We just weren’t aggressive enough.”
McConnell was also pleased by the fact that his team had three pickoffs in the game. “Shae had two great pick-offs and Tyler (Saundry) had the one at the end,” he said. “We play each team eight times so we will get to know each other, but you do need to shake it up each time so the other team gets some different looks from different pitchers. It was a great job by those guys tonight to get some outs back for us.”
After Monday’s season- and home-opener against the Geneva Red Wings was rained out, the Crush opens the home portion of its schedule today as the Syracuse Junior Chiefs come to town in a 6 p.m. start on Greg’s Field. It will be Greg Partigianoni Night, honoring the team’s namesake and the man for whom the field is named, and there will be post-game fireworks.
The same two teams will also meet on Greg’s Field Saturday and Sunday, with both games slated to start at 3 p.m.